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asked.
    â€œSeriously,” Miss Julia said.
    â€œSee you soon, girls,” Dad called from the piano.
    â€œI hope you have a spectacular day.” Mom gave Mia and Lulu hugs. When she pulled Maddie in tight, she whispered in her ear, “I’m proud of you.”
    Maddie hugged Mom back. Her sisters and Miss Julia were on their way out the door, so she ran to catch up.
    â€œBye!” they all called, and headed out of the hall for the day’s adventure.



EIGHT
    W hen they stepped outside, the wind whipped their hair every which way. Maddie was glad she’d worn her hair up in a ponytail, so at least it was out of her eyes.
    Mia fought the wind to wrestle her jacket closed. “You said it would rain all the time, Miss Julia, but it hasn’t rained at all since we’ve been here.”
    Miss Julia checked the sky. “We’ll see what happens. I’m carrying my umbrella, just in case.”
    â€œMommy says carrying an umbrella makes it so it won’t rain,” Lulu said.
    â€œWell, her theory has turned out to be correct so far,” Miss Julia said, trying to keep her big yellow hat on her head and finally giving up. She took it off and juggled that, the umbrella, and her purse in her arms, letting her frizzy, red hair fly wildly.
    â€œToo bad you can’t carry something to make the wind go away,” Mia said.
    â€œI like the wind,” Lulu said, jumping up and holding out her arms. “Look, it can almost pick me up.”
    â€œCareful, or you might get blown out into the street,” Miss Julia said.
    Lulu frowned at Miss Julia. “But I’m a long way from the street.”
    â€œShe’s teasing you,” Mia said, putting an arm around her little sister.
    Lulu wrinkled her nose at Mia and then ducked away, turning her attention to hopscotching along the sidewalk, avoiding the cracks. She was so busy watching her feet that she nearly missed the bus station.
    â€œLulu,” Mia called. “Come back!”
    â€œHuh?” Lulu stopped and looked back, her face registering surprise that they were all so far behind.
    Maddie laughed. “You were about to walk away into London and leave the rest of us behind.”
    Lulu tip-tapped her toes. “Wouldn’t it be fun to have a giant hide-and-go-seek game in London, like I could go hide and you all could come find me?”
    â€œYou wouldn’t think that was so fun when we couldn’t find you,” Miss Julia said.
    Lulu tilted her head, thinking. “No, I guess not, at least not after a little while. But at first it would be fun. All on my own, on the streets of London, having an adventure . . .”
    Maddie shuddered. To her, being alone on the streets of London sounded the opposite of fun . . . terrifying, even.
    The double-decker bus pulled up the curb, every bit as red as the telephone booths.
    â€œTo the roof!” Lulu said, leading everyone upstairs.
    It was the strangest sensation, climbing stairs on a bus and coming out on top. Maddie felt the slightest bit dizzy as they made their way to some open seats near the front. Even though she was sitting on the inside aisle, she could see down to the street. Looking down on the tops of all the cars made for an odd perspective. As the bus engine roared to life and they started moving, the buildings began zooming past. Up here, she felt like she was on a cloud ship, sailing through a foreign landscape, with the buildings rising above her head and extending down, down, down. Now the gargoyles and stone faces seemed close enough to reach out and touch. All around her, people snapped photos, pointing this way and that, making her feel she should look here and there and everywhere. Miss Julia snapped photos too, but Maddie was sure most of the picture would be taken up with her wild, red hair, rather than whatever she was trying to photograph.
    Mia pointed out a pigeon who had landed on the railing. “Look, he’s along